Reflections

“I don’t know the
key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

—Bill Cosby

The first time I heard this quote was from
my brother. I was a senior in high school and I was rambling on
to him about my stress over my ranking, what my declared major would
be in college, where I would work and all sorts of other things.

“Just think
about it,” I said. “Everybody knows how hard I’ve
tried for this position. What if I don’t get it?”

He didn’t even think to give me advice
over the whole situation, looked at me sternly and recited Cosby’s
quote. Then he said, “And that’s the way I live my life.”

Suddenly, I realized that instead of trying
hard for fear that I might disappoint someone somewhere, why not
work hard for myself. My brother’s college life took various
sharp turns, and it seemed as though he would never hear the end
of those supposed “mistakes” from my mother, but there
was something that outweighed everyone else’s criticism. He
was happy.

I understood that like Bill Cosby advises,
as long as there is a smile on my face while I am undertaking anything,
then I’m okay. Nobody can determine whether this will be the
key to success, but it will certainly not be the one to failure.